Ralph, the Train Dispatcher; Or, The Mystery of the Pay Car

  CHAPTER XXXI

  QUICK WORK

  The young train dispatcher had made a momentous discovery. He beckonedZeph to follow him on tiptoe so they should not disturb nor be seen byRivers. They somewhat surprised the marshal by crowding out of the room.

  "There's the queer old fellow, Palmer, you asked about," said theofficial, pointing to a form occupied at a table at the other end of theroom. "Don't you want to see him?"

  "No, not just now," replied Ralph, drawing the man confidentially to oneside. "We have not come here out of curiousity, but on a question ofgreat importance. I represent the Great Northern Railroad, and you canhelp us very greatly."

  "Can I? Good. I'll do it, then," instantly answered the marshal. "I'mnot used to having such heavy cases as those two in there, and theypester me."

  "Tell us about the man who seems hurt and sick."

  "Why, he was brought in a few nights since by our man who watches therivermen. They're a rough, bad lot. He found this man on a carouse inone of their haunts. Showing all kinds of money. He watched them, andjumped in just as they attacked the man and were about to rob him. Wefound over twenty thousand dollars in bank notes on the man--think ofthat! Only once since then has he entirely recovered from that cut onhis head, and refused to give his name or say a word, except that hismoney came from a gold mine."

  "Yes, a gold mine on wheels," observed Zeph pointedly.

  "The man's mind is affected by the blow he got, and only a few minutesat a time has he been rational. He offered me all his money if I'd lethim go. Funny thing, though; in one of his spells early this morning Ifound him whispering to old Palmer."

  "Did you?" pressed Zeph eagerly.

  "The old man ain't right, you know, but he sticks to that click-clackcontrivance all the time. I watched the two, and the prisoner promisedPalmer all kinds of things if he'd get free and send a certain messageto a certain party, or somehow get the telegram sent. Well, since thenthe old man has been terribly busy with his play telegraph device, andexcited, too. About an hour since he calls me to him, and says he willcertainly get me a thousand dollars if I will take a message to theoperator here. Only ten words, he says--one hundred dollars a word. Itold him I wouldn't do anything until the sheriff came back tomorrow. Hesaid only ten words. I asked him what ten words, and he shot out a lotof gibberish I couldn't take in."

  "A cypher telegram," murmured Zeph.

  "Well, I left it that way."

  "Let me lurk around a bit, will you?" inquired Ralph.

  "Certainly," assented the marshal.

  For the next ten minutes Ralph, hidden in a corner of the detentionroom, posted himself and listened. When he came out his face was excitedand eager.

  "Don't let those prisoners send out a word or see a single person untilI come back to you," he directed the marshal.

  "All right. Found out something?"

  "I think I have. I'll know for sure inside of six hours."

  "And let me know, too. You see all this bothersome mystery is worryingme."

  "You first of all," declared Ralph, "and you won't lose by cooeperatingwith us."

  "I see you're smart boys," observed the inexperienced marshal, "and Itrust in your word to straighten out this tangle."

  "What, Ralph?" broke in Zeph eagerly, as they left the place.

  "I think I've got the clew."

  "To what?"

  "The whole pay car business--at least the start of one."

  "Tell me about it."

  "I simply listened to Glen's grandfather at his dummy ticker. Poor oldman! He fancies he is being sought for by great railroad systems allover the world to take charge of their business. He ticked off all kindsof telegrams to important people. Then I caught the thread of a messagehe seemed to have particularly on his mind. It is just ten words, and ofcourse must be the one he wanted the marshal to send. There it is."

  Ralph showed a card on the back of which he had penciled down thefollowing words:

  "Rajah Sun and Moon Aeroplane Spectacles exemplar. Pardon Star Mudji."

  Quick as a flash Zeph hauled out the written screed he had acquiredwhile in the company of the conspirators. It comprised the formula oftheir cypher code.

  "Advise Jem and Parsons," he translated at once. "Barn loft plunder. Getme bail." "Who to, Ralph?" he inquired eagerly--"the telegram."

  "Mrs. Hannah Clifton, Dunbar Station."

  "A relative, I'll bet. You're right, we've got the clew! 'Barn loftplunder.' Ralph, Dunbar Station, quick!"

  "Yes," said the young dispatcher quietly, "that's our terminus, as quickas we can make it."

  Ralph's special pass furnished him by the road officer came in good.

  It brought them a lift on an urgency locomotive and another on thetender of the Daylight Express. At three o'clock that afternoon afterdue inquiry the two friends approached a house in a lonely settlement atthe edge of Dunbar Station.

  As they neared the house a woman knitting on its steps arose hurriedly,ran into the house and shut every door and window about the place.

  "Acts sort of scared, eh?" suggested Zeph, as they approached the frontof the house.

  "Or suspicious," remarked Ralph.

  "Stop right there. Who are you, and what do you want?"

  The boys paused summarily, a bit taken off their balance. Very suddenlythe barrel of a long shotgun was thrust through the slats of one of thewooden shutters, and the voice which challenged them showed no timidityor nonsense.

  "We want to see Mrs. Hannah Clifton," replied Ralph politely, revealinghimself.

  "What for?" demanded the uncompromising invisible challenger.

  "Why--er--that is--" began the rattled Zeph stammeringly.

  "Shut up," whispered Ralph unceremoniously. "In behalf of Mr. Rivers,"added Ralph ahead.

  "He sent you, did he?"

  "We just came from him."

  "On business, I suppose?"

  "Yes, madam."

  "All right, then he gave you a word."

  "Password!" whispered Zeph desperately.

  "Sun and Moon," ventured Ralph recklessly.

  "Wrong!" cried the woman as quick as lightning. "I see your game. You'reguessing. If you don't make yourselves scarce in two minutes, I'llfire."

  She did not wait the limit. The fowling piece scattered skithering birdshot with a flare just as the intruders got out of range.

  "She's too keen for us--get to the barn, Ralph," suggested Zephbreathlessly.

  "Yes, run," ordered Ralph.

  They reached it, ran to cover and peered out. The woman, gun in hand,dashed from the house in the direction of a nest of small huts in thevicinity.

  "She is going to rouse up some of her friends, I have not the leastdoubt," observed Ralph. "Quick action, Zeph. That telegram said 'barnloft!'"

  "Whoo-oop!"

  Already the impetuous Zeph had acted on the impulse of the moment. Hewas up in the loft already. Mingled with his chucklings were therustlings of hay, a dragging sound. Down on Ralph's head came a bulkyobject as he started up the cleated side of the barn.

  "Bags--two of them! Money! Pay envelopes!" gasped the young road officerin a transport of wild excitement. "Rivers hid them here. The womandon't know. Hustle, get out. She may bring a mob after us. Oh, I'ma--I'm a great detective at last!"

  "You are, and always were," cheered Ralph with a happy smile. He feltwell satisfied. The very feeling of the stuffed bags, a mere glance attheir contents, told the young railroader that they were lugging tosafety a fortune probably amounting to over two hundred thousanddollars.

  They lost no time in cutting across the fields towards the town, eachbearing a share of the precious burden.

  At the local bank Ralph amazed the proprietor by demanding that the bagsbe locked up in his strongest vaults as the property of the GreatNorthern railroad.

  Then he hurried to the office of the company railroad operator at DunbarStation.

  There was a brief explanation, a quick call for headquarters, theurgency sig
nal, 25, and Ralph could fancy loyal old John Glidden atheadquarters throwing open the entire lines for final orders in thegreat pay car mystery case.

  East, west, south the messages flew: to the general superintendent, toBob Adair, to the marshal, to the paymaster at Stanley Junction.

  The unobtrusive station operator stared in bewilderment at the quick,natty stranger, who seemed to have no trouble in keeping track of adozen different messages at once. It took Ralph fully an hour, withdetails, repeats and clean up. He arose from the instrument with asatisfied face.

  "I've done my work, Zeph," he said, "and I'm going back to headquarters.You are to wait here for instructions from Mr. Adair. They will comesharp and brisk, don't be afraid. We have started the ball rolling, therest will be easy."